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Roberto Jorge Canessa Urta, M.D., (born 17 January 1953) is one of the 16 survivors of the
During an interview made at CNN en Español, Canessa expressed that he wanted to help the survivors of the tragedy of Chapecoense in Medellín, Colombia.
Roberto Jorge Canessa Urta, M.D., (born 17 January 1953) is one of the 16 survivors of the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
The Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was a chartered flight from Montevideo, Uruguay, bound for Santiago, Chile, that crashed in the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972. The accident and subsequent survival became known as the Andes flight disast ...
, which crashed in the Andes
The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S ...
mountains on 13 October 1972, and a Uruguay
Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...
an political figure. He was portrayed by Josh Hamilton
Joshua Holt Hamilton (born May 21, 1981) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from to , most prominently as a member of the Texas Rangers teams that won two consecutive Americ ...
in the 1993 feature film, ''Alive
Alive may refer to:
*Life
Books, comics and periodicals
* ''Alive'' (novel), a 2015 novel by Scott Sigler
* '' Alive: The Final Evolution'', a 2003 shonen manga by Tadashi Kawashima and Adachitoka
* '' Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors'', ...
''.
13 October 1972 air crash
At the time of the accident, Canessa was a 19-year-old medical student. His fiancée was Laura Surraco, the daughter of a doctor. He graduated from the Stella Maris College (Montevideo) and played for their alumni rugby team,Old Christians Club
Old Christians Club, or simply Old Christians, is an Uruguayan sports club from the Carrasco neighbourhood of Montevideo.
The club is known mostly for its rugby union team that became famous around the world due to the 1972 Uruguayan Air Force ...
. Between 1971 and 1979, he played eight matches with the Uruguay national rugby union team
The Uruguay national rugby union team ( Spanish: '' Selección de rugby de Uruguay'') represents Uruguay in men's international rugby union nicknamed ''Los Teros'', is governed by the Unión de Rugby del Uruguay. One of the older test sides in t ...
, and was also selected in 1980, for the South American Jaguars tour of South Africa.
It was Canessa who suggested to his fellow survivors that in order to stay alive, they should eat the flesh of the deceased victims of the crash. Together with Fernando Parrado, he spent 10 days trekking through the Andes in search of help for the survivors.
Post rescue
After the rescue, Canessa recounted how his drive to escape from the mountains was fueled by the thought of his mother and his girlfriend. He later married Laura Surraco, and they had two sons and a daughter. He works as a pediatric cardiologist and motivational speaker.Candidate for President of Uruguay
Canessa was a candidate in the 1994 Uruguayan presidential elections but he failed to gain public support. Canessa obtained only 0.08% of the vote, lagging far behind former President,Julio María Sanguinetti
Julio María Sanguinetti Coirolo (; born 6 January 1936 in Montevideo, Uruguay) is a Uruguayan politician, lawyer and journalist, who twice served as President of Uruguay (from March 1985 until March 1990, and again, from March 1995 until Marc ...
, whose party returned to power with 30.83% of the public vote.
Public appearance in 2016
During an interview made at CNN en Español, Canessa expressed that he wanted to help the survivors of the tragedy of Chapecoense in Medellín, Colombia.
See also
*Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571
The Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 was a chartered flight from Montevideo, Uruguay, bound for Santiago, Chile, that crashed in the Andes mountains on October 13, 1972. The accident and subsequent survival became known as the Andes flight disast ...
* Nando Parrado
* Carlos Páez Rodríguez
* Old Christians Club
Old Christians Club, or simply Old Christians, is an Uruguayan sports club from the Carrasco neighbourhood of Montevideo.
The club is known mostly for its rugby union team that became famous around the world due to the 1972 Uruguayan Air Force ...
* '' Alive: 20 Years Later''
* ''Alive: Miracle in The Andes''
References
1953 births Living people Rugby union players from Montevideo Survivors of aviation accidents or incidents Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 Uruguayan Roman Catholics Uruguayan people of Italian descent Candidates for President of Uruguay Uruguayan cardiac surgeons Uruguayan rugby union players Uruguayan autobiographers People educated at Stella Maris College (Montevideo) {{Uruguay-med-bio-stub